Winch



Jan. 1, 1963 H. KOENIG ETAL WINCH 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 11, 1958Herbe/f Aoen/g fiuJJeU C Ju/hran INVENTORS BY PM 9-. vow

1963 H. KOENlG ETAL 3,071,222

WINCH Filed Sept. 11, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 l I q \t b I Q5 Q (k I fl 5Q J) I R J =1 Q i 7 2 a & l I N v 3 5 a N no I Herberf Keen/9 i lfiuJJefl C Ju/l/van INVENTORS N BY q) SitatesPate nt 3,071,222 Patented"Jan. 1', 1963 Filed Sept. 11, 1958, Ser. No. 760,324

3 Claims. (Cl. 192-12) This invention relates to winches of the typeused in hoisting, lowering or pulling operations. The main object of theinvention is to provide a novel winch of general application and ofunusually compact and rugged construction.

v Another object is to provide a winch in which the means for drivingthe drum are substantially more rugged and powerful than in previousdesigns.

Another object of our invention is to provide a winch in which the drumis actuated from the powering means through a drum wheel and clutchingelement compactly located at the same side of the drum and within acommon lubricant casing. I

7 Another object is to provide a winch having adriving and clutchingconnection for: the of simple and highly'efiicient design, the torsionalload bearing capacity 'svh ich is not limited by the .diarneter off "thefdr um' fAnotherfobject is to avoid deformation and untimely failureof'the s-haftby"poweringtheldruin indepei d i h ib j I l Another objectis to provide awinch which in its 'preferred embodiment is adapted forready rnofun tirig' in any of a wide variety of locations,'either onvehicles or stationary supports,'-by means of'the terminall'ehds ofthedrun'ishaft. r i

Another object of our inventionis to provideanovel automatic winch brakewhich is adpted tore'sist reverse loads on the drum without imposingsuch loads' on the winchdrivingmeans. '6 h An additional object of ourinvention is' 'to"previde an automatic winch brake, theelem ents of'which are so slight modification shown in FIG. 9', the unit can beadapted to produce rotation of the shaft'with the drum in order toobtain the occasionally desired benefits .of a rotating cathead sheaveat one or both ends of the winch. However, in the alternate as in theprimary embodiment, the drum wheel and the drum are coupled externallyof the shaft, and the driving force therebetw'een is trans mitted at apoint or points substantially removed from the axis of rotation. Thoseversed in the art will recognize the increased design efficiency andtorque transmitting capacity of such arrangement, for it 'is well knownthat the maXirnum'torque which may be transmitted between two joinedrotating parts is equal to thesheer strength of the coupling multipliedby its efiective distance from the axis'of rotation. 1

Referring now to the drawings, the Winch, 'asfg'en'erally shown in FIGS.1 and 2, includes a drum rotatably mounted on adrum shaft 11. A cable,rope or ,wire line not shown, iswound aboutthe [drumltlfandaiicomplishes the hoisting, lowering or pulling 'oper ions f0]whic-l the unit isinten ded Bearings inthetorm' bf'bus'hings. or,antifriction roller. hearings f '12 {at p0itione within each endllof,the'drum.-aboutthe sh n r v shaft 'joumal beating ,mount 13 ispositioned ..at onefenc' of shaft 511, and is.,provided '-withjtappmrepeses 14m constructed"and' arranged that it is readilyconvertible to resist either clockwise or counterclockwise rotation.

'Another object is to provide a modified formvof our invention in whichrotating cathead'sheaves'maybe 'se cured at either or both ends of thedrum shaft of'the winch without sacrifice of any of the foregoingobjects", I I These and other more specificobjects' hereafterappearing'are attained in the novelwinch construction illustrated in theaccompanying drawings in which f 'FI G. l is a top view of the winchwith the clutch in the disengaged position; r y Y Q .FIG. 2 is a sectiontaken alongline 2-'2'of FIG. '1, but showing the clutch in the engagedposition;

FIG. 3 is a vertical transverse section taken-orifline 3;3 .OFIG!1;

line 4- 4 of FIG. 1;

I FIG. 5 isaside view and section of a detail stantially on line 5-5 ofFIG. 4; Y p FIG. 6 is an enlarged detail taken on the same section lineas FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is a section taken on line 7- 7 of FIG. 6; FIG. 8 is a sectiontaken on line 8-8 of FIG. 6 ;'and

FIG. 9 is a detail vertical sectionlike FIG. 2, but showing the slightmodifications required to provide a. rotating cathead sheave.

The objects of our invention are achieved by novel designpwhich differsin many respects irom that of con ventional units. The immediatelyapparent point of departure from the prior art is the provision in theprimary or FIG. 2 embodiment of a non-rotating shaft upon which both thedrum wheel and drum rotate. By the talren sub 'FIG. 4, isa verticaltransversesection taken on brok en menttherewith. ,Rotation ofv shaft 21hu produces rota tidnofwormgearZB.

. 'Re ferring again. to-FIG. 2, the lubricant casing v15 closedby theend cap member. 24-which is ,securedthere to by any conventionalmeanssuch as bolts '25. .Withi: the lubricant casing are the drivingassembly, the drive] assembly. and the clutching elements, .all of whichcoac to transmit power asdesired fromzthe drive :shaft 21 t the. drum,10. i The clutch provides means to break th power chain'and relarrtherotatingtorce'on the drum In o ther..words, disengagement of -the.elutchallows th drive shaft tocontinue to turnwhilethe drum.i s at.resj The ,driving assembly comprises; thev worm gear. c driving .wheel.21} and. the ,driving; sleeve :26 which i adj acent thereto-on the.shaft 1-1,. ,These elements ar locked together by means of eapaserews27. Ertter nz splines 28:a e: formed, about. the driving sleeve on thend opposite the worm gear 23;.

.The driven assembly comprises the. driven sleeve 2 which is ca rriedabout the shaft. 11 intermediate th driving assembly and the drum 10..At the end of th drivensleeve 29 which is adjacent the drum .10, aflang 30 extends radiallyoutward to abut the flange 31 o the drum. Capscrews 32 secure these members tc gether. At the end of the drivensleeve 29 adjacent th driving sleeve 26 are provided external splines 33whic are similar to splines 28.

Between the sleeves 26 and 29 and the shaft 11 ar antifriction hearingsor bushings, shown as 34 and 3 respectively, which allow rotationbetween the sleeves an the shaft. A rigid collar 36 is formed about theshat 11 between thedriving and driven sleeves 26 and 29 t maintain theproper spacing therebetween, and to react th axial thrust which may becommunicated to the driving assembly by the worm 22. The shaft 11 ismaintained in a fixed position relative to the casing by means of thetransverse set screw 37 through end cap member 24.

The clutch assembly comprises the lever 38, atop and outside the casing15, the pinion shaft 3? to which the lever is attached, pinion gear 40,actuating ring 41 and clutch sleeve 42. The last named member in theclutch engaged position is carried about the adjacent portions ofdriving sleeve 26 and driven sleeve 29, and is internally splined formating engagement with the external splines 28 and 33. Snap rings 42aserve to retain the clutch sleeve 42 within the actuating ring 41.

The actuating ring and clutch sleeve are adapted for movement along theaxis of shaft 11 through a range of travel extending from the point atwhich the clutch sleeve is wholly removed from contact with the splines33 on sleeve 29, the disengaged position, to the point at which theclutch sleeve extends onto each of the driving and driven sleeves anapproximately equal amount, the engaged position. It is apparent that inthe above described arrangement, torque is effectively transmitted fromthe driving to the driven assembly through a coupling which is highlyeflicient in operation and may be readily disengaged.

The reciprocation of the actuating ring to produce engagement anddisengagement of the clutch is produced, as best shown in FIG. 5, byrotation of the pinion shaft 39 which carries thereon pinion gear 40secured by a key 43. The teeth on pinion 40 mate with the rack teeth 44on the actuating ring 41, and translate the rotation of the shaft 39 asproduced by the lever 38 into linear movement.

Atop the actuating ring 41 is a raised pad 45 which has two alignedrecesses 46 and 47 therein. When the clutch is in either the engaged ordisengaged position, the bulbous lower end of a spring pressed detent 48mounted in a flanged thimble 49 in the upper casing wall is receivedwithin recess 46 or 47. The recesses are of difierent effective depthsso that the position of actuating ring 41 will be externally signaled bythe extent to which the top of detent 48 is visible. Further, when theclutch is neither completely engaged nor disengaged but is in someintermediate position, such condition will be readily apparent from thevarying extent to which the top of the detent projects above the casing.The edges of recesses 46 and 47 and the channel therebetween smoothlymerge so that detent 48 may readily snap into and out of the recesseswhen the clutch ring 41 is shifted.

Referring now to FIG. 3, the drive shaft 21 is provided with taperedroller bearings 50 and 51 which position and guide the shaft for propermating with worm gear 23. At the end of the shaft 21 which projects fromthe lubricant casing is a keyway 52 which provides a convenient point ofattachment for a crank or other source of power. Cover plate 53 which issecured to lubricant casing 15 by means of cap screws 53a houses the oilseal 54 and maintains the drive shaft and its bearings in the assembledposition.

At the end of drive shaft 21 opposite the keyway 52 is provided anautomatic safety brake of novel design indicated generally by referencenumeral 55. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the brake consists of an innerring 56 keyed at 56a to the drive shaft 21. About the circumference ofinner ring 56 are a plurality of notches 57 having inclined bottom wallsas shown in FIG. 7. Within each notch is a roller 58 and a flat spring59 which biases the roller toward the shallow end of the notch. Outerring 60 which is rotatable about inner ring 56 serves to confine therollers within the notches and the flat spring 59 maintains the rollersin contact with the outer ring. The entire assembly is carried withinthe brake housing 61 which is secured to casing 15 by means of bolts61a, and closed at the opposite end by cap member 62.

The inner wall of the housing 61 and the outer wall of the outer ring 60are provided with teeth identified by reference numerals 63 and 64,,respectively. A number of clutch rings 65 are carried within the housing61 and are secured thereto by teeth about the outer circumference whichmate with the teeth 63. Interspaced between the rings 65 are clutchrings 66 which have teeth about their inner circumference which matewith the teeth 64 on the outer ring 60. Thus the clutch rings 66 rotatewith the outer ring 60, and the clutch rings 65 are fixed by the housing61. The tendency of the outer ring to rotate is resisted by thefrictional drag between the alternating clutch rings, and the magnitudeof the resulting frictional force is determined by the force with whichthe clutch rings are compressed by the pressure plate 67 actingthereagainst. The force on the pressure plate is applied through thecentreing ball 68 which assures equal distribution of the load over thearea of the clutch ring faces, and it is adjusted by the brake adjustingscrew 69 which is movable along threads 70 by means of appropriatewrench flats 71 on the end of the screw 69 which projects outside theunit. Compensation for cumulative wear on the clutch rings is providedby moving the pressure plate inward. Oil seal 72 is carried aboutadjusting screw 69 to maintain a seal against the cap member 62.

The rollers 58 are maintained in contact with the inner wall of theouter ring 60 at all times by the flat springs 59. Rotation of the driveshaft 21 and inner ring 56 in a counterclockwise direction causes therolling or dragging contact between the rollers and outer ring 60 to beexerted in a direction which urges the rollers toward the deeper end ofthe notches 57, and the inner ring rotates freely within the outer ring.However, when the counterclockwise rotationceases, any tendency of areverse load on the drum to feed back through the drum Wheel into theshaft 21 and produce clockwise rotation thereof will be resisted by thedrag between the clutch rings 65 and 66 as the rollers 58 instantly lockthe inner ring to the outer ring. The locking of the rings results fromthe fact. that clockwise rotation tends to move the rollers toward theshallow end of their respective notches.

Our automatic brake may be readily adapted for reverse operation, i.e.,to allow clockwise rotation and resist counterclockwise rotation. Thischange is accomplished by reversing the mounting of inner ring 56 on theshaft 21, so that the depth of the notches 57 increases in acounterclockwise direction rather than in a clockwise direction as inFIG. 7.

The automatic brake is a feature which is essential in a hoisting winch,one winch is adapted to lift a load and suspend it for an interval in anintermediate position. In a so-called pulling winch, one in which.operations are never arrested with a suspended load on the drum, thereis no necessity for auxiliary means to perform a braking function.

Carried within the bearing mount 13 is the drag brake which comprises abrake pad 73 and compression spring 74 within the well 75. The pad isbiased against the end flange 76 of the drum 10 and exerts a constantforce to eliminate overrunning and backlash of the drum duringoperation.

The casing 15 is partially filled with lubricant, and the location ofthe drum wheel and clutch assembly within a common housing makespossible a simple and efiicient system of splash lubrication. A passage77 through the flange 30 and drum 10 interconnects the casing 15 and theannular chamber 78 within the drum to provide lubrication for thebearings 12. An oil seal 79 is provided between the casing 15 and theflange 30 to effectively seal the interior of the unit and preventleakage. In the disclosed arrangement, the necessity for additionallubrication points is eliminated. Casing end wall 24 sealingly engagesdrum shaft 11 near its extremity, a suitable packing being provided ingroove 11a for this purpose.

A number of fins or vanes 80 are formed within the drum and project intothe chamber 78. Such members are for the purpose of cooling thelubricant by absorbing the heat therefrom and dissipating it through thedrum.

The provision of a non-rotating drum shaft in the FIG. 2 embodiment ofour invention makes it possible to mount the winch by means of theprojecting ends of the shaft. Such installation requires only a pair ofaligned openings in the mount to receive the ends of the shaft, and apair of fixed points for attachment of bolts in the holes 14 and 16. Theflexibility of installation thus afforded is an obvious advantage of ournovel design.

FIGURE 9 illustrates a modification of the basic unit to provide arotating cathead sheave on the end of shaft 11. A simple mounting memberis shown at the end of the winch adjacent the sheave, and a similararrangement would be necessary at the opposite end to properly supportthe unit. Contrary to the described mounting arrangement for the FIG. 2embodiment, the drum shaft could not be utilized to provide a fixedsupport point in the FIG. 9 unit unless an antifriction bearing wereincluded between the shaft and the mount.

In describing the FIG. 9 winch, the same reference numerals identifiedin FIGS. 1 through 8 will be employed. The changes are explained belowwith the aid of new reference numerals.

The driving sleeve 26 is not rotatable about the shaft 11, but issecured thereto by a key 81. The bearing 34 is eliminated. A catheadsheave 32 is secured to the shaft 11 at the end thereof adjacent thecasing 15 as by means of a key 82a. A similar sheave, not shown, couldbe similarly attached to the opposite end of the shaft. As the shaft 11will rotate with the drum wheel, it is necessary to provide bearings 83and 84, located respectively in the end cap member 24 of casing 15 andthe bearing mount 13. Such bearings allow rotation of shaft 11 andmaintain a seal to prevent leakage of the lubricant.

It is apparent that in the FIG. 9 embodiment, the shaft 11 carries onlysufiicient load to drive the cathead sheave 82. The driving force forthe drum is still transmitted through the driving and driven members andthe clutch assembly, and the previously outlined advantages of ourinvention are still attained.

Obviously, various modifications may be made. For example, drive shaft21 may be located and disposed as desired and the driving gearingmodified accordingly. Various other changes will occur to those skilledin the art, and the protection of all modifications that come within thescope of the appended claims is contemplated.

The invention having been described, what we claim is:

1. In a winch, a drum shaft, a drum rotatably mounted on said shaft, adrum driving wheel on said shaft, sleeve member received about saidshaft and, respectively, projecting toward each other from and movablewith said drum and said driving wheel, a clutch sleeve received on andslidable along said sleeve members in splined connection therewith,means to shift said clutch sleeve to selectively couple and unoouplesaid drum and driving wheel independently of said shaft, a power inputshaft in proximity to said drum shaft, meshing gear teeth on said powershaft and said drive wheel, concentric inner and outer rings about saidpower shaft, a casing portion encompassing said rings, said inner ringbeing rotatable with said power shaft, latch means between said ringspermitting free relative rotation thereof in one direction whileresisting relative rotation thereof in the opposite direction, firstfriction plates projecting outwardly from and rotatable with said outerring, second friction plates secured to said casing portion andprojecting therefrom inwardly and alternately between said first plates,said first and second plates being relatively movable axially of saidpower shaft to vary the spacing thereof, means for biasing said platestogether for varying the frictional pressure therebetween to control thebraking effect thereof upon said power shaft and said drum, and a sealedlubricant casing received about said drum shaft, said clutch sleeve,said drum wheel, and said power shaft in sealing engagement with thesleeve member projecting from said drum and with said drum shaft on theside thereof opposite from said last mentioned sleeve member.

2. A winch as described in claim 1 in which said latch means compriseswedging surface elements in the surface of at least one of said ringsopposing said other ring, said surface elements being non-concentricwith said ring, and wedging rollers interposed between said rings atsaid surface elements.

3. A winch as described in claim 1 in which said first and secondfriction plates are, respectively, in splined connection with said outerring and said casing to permit axial shifting of said plates relative tosaid latter ring and casing.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,498,880 Malouin June 24, 1924 1,508,739 Anibal Sept. 16, 19241,982,886 Swartz Dec. 4, 1934 2,151,338 Shonnard Mar. 21, 1939 2,277,134Nelson Mar. 24, 1942 2,300,122 Kelley Oct. 27, 1942 2,503,177 SymondsApr. 4, 1950 2,642,970 Szekely June 23, 1953 2,703,220 Curtiss Mar. 1,1955 2,795,964 Short June 18, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 631,849 Germany June4, 1936

1. IN A WINCH, A DRUM SHAFT, A DRUM ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON SAID SHAFT, ADRUM DRIVING WHEEL ON SAID SHAFT, SLEEVE MEMBER RECEIVED ABOUT SAIDSHAFT AND, RESPECTIVELY, PROJECTING TOWARD EACH OTHER FROM AND MOVABLEWITH SAID DRUM AND SAID DRIVING WHEEL, A CLUTCH SLEEVE REEIVED ON ANDSLIDABLE ALONG SAID SLEEVE MEMBERS IN SPLINED CONNECTION THEREWITH,MEANS TO SHIFT SAID CLUTCH SLEEVE TO SELECTIVELY COUPLE AND UNCOUPLESAID DRUM AND DRIVING WHEEL INDEPENDENTLY OF SAID SHAFT, A POWER INPUTSHAFT IN PROXIMITY TO SAID DRUM SHAFT, MESHING GEAR TEETH ON SAID POWERSHAFT AND SAID DRIVE WHEEL, CONCENTRIC INNER AND OUTER RINGS ABOUT SAIDPOWER SHAFT, A CASING PORTION ENCOMPASSING SAID RINGS, SAID INNER RINGBEING ROTATABLE WITH SAID POWER SHAFT, LATCH MEANS BETWEEN SAID RINGSPERMITTING FREE RELATIVE ROTATION THEREOF IN ONE DIRECTION WHILERESISTING RELATIVE ROTATION THEREOF IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION, FIRSTFRICTION PLATES PROJECTING OUTWARDLY FROM AND ROTATABLE WITH SAID OUTERRING, SECOND FRICTION PLATES SECURED TO SAID CASING PORTION ANDPROJECTING THEREFROM INWARDLY AND ALTERNATELY BETWEEN SAID FIRST PLATES,SAID FIRST AND SECOND PLATES BEING RELATIVELY MOVABLE AXIALLY OF SAIDPOWER SHAFT TO VARY THE SPACING THEREOF, MEANS FOR BIASING SAID PLATESTOGETHER FOR VARYING THE FRICTIONAL PRESSURE THEREBETWEEN TO CONTROL THEBRAKING EFFECT THEREOF UPON SAID POWER SHAFT AND SAID DRUM, AND A SEALEDLUBRICANT CASING RECEIVED ABOUT SAID DRUM SHAFT, SAID CLUTCH SLEEVE,SAID DRUM WHEEL, AND SAID POWER SHAFT IN SEALING ENGAGEMENT WITH THESLEEVE MEMBER PROJECTING FROM SAID DRUM AND WITH SAID DRUM SHAFT ON THESIDE THEREOF OPPOSITE FROM SAID LAST MENTIONED SLEEVE MEMBER.